Ref Number: DA16/0936

The applicant proposes to take water from an existing bore by bulk containment to a commercial bottler & distributor.

The site distance along Rowlands Creek Road for tanker trucks entering and exiting the site is insufficient and poses a danger to traffic.

Tankers will take up two lanes to turn by the Uki school. This will pose safety risks for school children and motorists in Uki village. Problems with tankers negotiating school buses in Uki village.

There needs to be an assessment undertaken in order to place a load limit for Rowlands Creek Road.

High cost to rate payers as a result of repairs to damaged bitumen from tyres churning out and displacing hot soft bitumen in summer months where tankers turn, particularly in Uki village.

Ratepayers will have to pay to repair damage to road infrastructure including bridges and verges caused by the tankers when they leave the bitumen when approached by oncoming traffic on narrow rural roads.

Local amenity will suffer.

The development will provide no economic or social benefits for the Tweed Shire Council or the people of the shire.

Tankers on the roads and travelling through our villages and towns will adversely effect tourism in the area.

Uki’s amenity, safety and tourism based businesses will be severely adversely effected by tanker traffic

Tourists having to negotiate 2.5 metre wide and 19 metre long tankers on narrow winding roads will deter tourists from visiting the area. Tanker drivers having to negotiate slow-driving sightseeing tourists on narrow winding roads will cause frustration and tailgating that will place the driving public at risk and damage from the Tweed Valley tourism experience.

The bridges on Rowlands Creek Road would have to be upgraded to accommodate the tankers.

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Property values of residents on Rowlands Creek Road will be devalued.

There has been no base data provided on the bore.

Sufficient information has not been provided in the Statement of Environmental Effects for the Council to make an informed decision.

Tweed Shire Council doesn’t have the knowledge or expertise to evaluate the impacts of the development on the environment.

There has been no account provided of the long or short term cumulative effects on the environment, local amenity or tourism in the area. Once this development is approved it will be too difficult to retract it. This is too important an issue which has the potential to set a precedent for other commercial water extraction development applications in the broader area.

There has been no account provided of how much the development will effect the charge and discharge into Rowlands Creek or the ability of other nearby residents to access ground water.

Climate change predictions have been underestimated. Weather events like drought are expected to become more severe. The precautionary principle should dictate that the development should not be approved in order to ensure that ground water levels are not adversely impacted.

There is an existing bore within 400 metres of the proposed extraction site.

There is no requirement for water meters on the bores to monitor the amount of extraction.

Once an extraction allocation has been approved the developer can apply to increase the amount allowed to be drawn.

Ground water should remain a public asset and not used for private commercial purposes.